Colorado homeowners are left infuriated after county installed ‘hideous’ feature in their front yards without permission
- Jefferson County officials had installed broadband utility boxes in locals’ homes
- Some residents say they feel violated because this happened without permission
Longtime homeowners in Colorado are outraged after broadband electrical boxes were installed in their front yards without their permission.
Residents of Kipling Villas in Jefferson County were surprised to see several people digging up their yards and installing electrical boxes for BAM Broadband, formerly known as DirectLink, in holes in the ground.
Michael Clarkson, who bought his parents’ house in the area in 1976, described the whole process as ‘very abusive’.
“We cannot hold our province, which is normally very responsive, accountable for this,” he said ABC7.
Residents of Kipling Villas in Jefferson County were surprised to see several people digging up their yards and setting up electrical boxes for BAM Broadband, formerly known as DirectLink.
Michael Clarkson (pictured), who bought his parents’ house in the area in 1976, described the whole process as ‘very abusive’.
But officials claim residents were notified of the scheme and said there was a permit between the province and the company that allowed the installation.
In February, the Kipling Villas Home Owners Association published its monthly newsletter with the text: ‘Why is there a box in my garden? About every other house has an access box in the garden. This box is needed to get fiber optic internet to your home.’
Also the Jefferson County website is reading: “As a Jefferson County resident, you may be wondering why crews are installing fiber optic in your area.
“The Colorado General Assembly has deemed the regulation of broadband a matter of statewide concern and has limited the ability of local governments to regulate the location of broadband in local rights-of-way laws.
Clarkson later said that after weeks of complaints the box in his garden was removed, but there are others
“Under this legislation, broadband providers will have the authority to locate in public transit areas.”
But residents do not believe their gardens disturbed by the installations constitute ‘rights of way’.
One resident told the station: “To me, this is as much about liability as it is about our community as a whole.
‘Because here’s the thing: one company comes and does this, and that’s okay. Five, six, more to come.”
Clarkson later said that after weeks of complaints the box in his garden was removed, but there are others.
BAM Breedband has not yet responded to the complaints.